God’s Statutes and the Laws

God gave people the Ten Commandments and other statutes to obey.

In Exodus 18 – 23, children of Israel learned many God’s rules. The LORD gave us clear guidance and full support to walk in HIS way. We ought to study and understand HIS will, the importance of keeping HIS laws and the corresponding consequences.

The Ten Commandments:

1)      You shall have no other gods before ME.

2)      You shall not make for yourself a carved image.

3)      You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.

4)      Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

5)      Honor your father and your mother.

6)      You shall not murder.

7)      You shall not commit adultery.

8)      You shall not steal.

9)      You shall not bear false witness.

10)  You shall not covet.

The Ten Commandments are for us to obey, to make us happy because through compliance, we won’t be separated from God by sin, losing HIS grace. They teach us how to love God wholeheartedly and our neighbors as well.

God told us what should be done and what shouldn’t, how to settle dispute, the consequences and penalty of not keeping HIS laws. HIS clear instructions covered different aspects of life, including how to handle various circumstances. HE even told HIS people the underlying logic, for example, do not live together with other race for fear that they would be tempted to worship other gods, a trap to make them sin against HIM.

Additional list of statutes from God:

1)      The law of the altar

2)      The law concerning servants

3)      The law concerning violence

4)      Animal control laws

5)      Responsibility of property

6)      Moral and ceremonial principles

7)      Justice of all

8)      The law of Sabbath

9)      Three annual feasts

10)  The Angel and the promise

Jethro had already advised Moses teaching God’s statutes and the laws to HIS people, showing them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. The LORD’s presence and HIS arrangements at Mount Sinai impressed everyone the importance of the laws given. We have the responsibility to keep God’s covenant and make HIS laws well-known.

Israel affirmed the covenant and they had to bear the consequences of disobeying God. The LORD could take away all the blessings and stop taking care of the sinners. The punishments were apparent and in severe cases fatal.

If Israel kept God’s covenant, HE would send an Angel to guide them to the Promised Land. HE would fight for HIS people, bless their foods and drinks, and keep them from disease, all wombs opened and no miscarriage.

The whole covenant was very overt, demonstrating the LORD’s love and consideration to humans. We are to obey, to respect, to walk according to God’s will.

Let’s pray to God:

Our Heavenly Father, thank you for Your loving-kindness and guidance. Please help us remember Your Statutes and Laws in our heart, spread the Gospel and resist all temptations to sin. Amen.

Special reference: The Ten Commandments and additional list of statutes from God are copied from Precious Moment Bible, published by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Israel a Stiff Neck

Israel remained stubborn and forgetful, despite God’s abundant mercy and help.

In Exodus 13 – 17, Israel went into the wilderness after being freed from slavery. They complained to Moses, blaming God for deliverance every time danger or problem arose. God took great care of HIS people by saving them at the Red Sea, giving them food and drink ... But Israel kept complaining, demonstrating man’s failings – being stubborn, forgetful, unthankful and disobedient, etc.

Israel let fear weaken their faith regardless of God being with them day and night. Fear of the Egyptian’s pursuit drove them to forgetfulness. They failed in recalling God’s wondrous works and HIS omnipotence. They behaved ambivalently – cried out to the LORD and complained against HIM simultaneously.

The Red Sea crossing (walking on dry ground and drowning the enemy) was a stunning salvation of the LORD, worthy of great praise for sure. But after glorifying God, Israel didn’t grow wiser; they backtracked to their ungrateful nature after every God’s help, as below:

1)      Bitter water made sweet

2)      Bread from Heaven

3)      Water from the rock

4)      Victory over the Amalekites

Worries and complaints make people overlooking God’s omnipotence and love even with the existence of memorials such HIS law and the Song of Moses. Israel took God’s deliverance and help for granted and themselves no responsibility to offer steadfast belief, but a victim always. With such ungrateful character, they won’t be capable of cultivating their faith and making proper requests by praying humbly to God without complaint.

Given clear instructions, people were too stiff neck and refused keeping God’s law accordingly. For example, some people collected bread from Heaven for tomorrow (not Sunday); whereas, some went out to collect on Sunday and found none. Nobody could bend God to their own will no matter how disobedient they are.

Man often fails God with unbelief and disobedience, when troubles exist in particular. We don’t have enough patience to undergo difficulties and always ask for a quick fix. We let worries and problems blur our discernment and are too easy surrendering to the “old comfort”, forgetting to behave godly and refusing to embrace God’s grace (new life) that HE promised.

Slavery in Egypt was never good. God arranged the deliverance because HE heard the outcry of Israel. Israel was definitely irresponsible to blame God afterwards. They lost faith when they didn’t enter into the Promised Land immediately even God was with them all the time.

The wilderness served as a testing ground that revealed man’s weak points – being stubborn, forgetful, unthankful, ungrateful, disobedient, impatient, foolish, selfish and irresponsible. A stiff neck will refuse keeping God’s law and seek one’s own downfall.

Let’s pray to God:

Lord Jesus, teach us to be humble, make requests properly and never complain against God. Give us the strength to purge from the failings illustrated by Israel, to remember and appreciate the LORD’s blessing, and never forget HIS love and our responsibility to love HIM in return with full trust and obedience. Amen.

Hardening of Man’s Heart

God hardened man’s heart. Have you ever thought of why?

In Exodus 5 – 12, Moses asked Pharaoh to let his people leave so that they could worship God, but the king refused. One plague after another, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart after every relief. The king kept behaving deceitfully and finally, he drove out Israel after the tenth plague – death of the firstborn.

To set Israel free from slavery and leave Egypt for the Promised Land, Moses confronted with Pharaoh whose heart hardened for eleven times after the following events.

1.      The first request, without sign. (After this, Pharaoh ordered no straw to Israel for making bricks, but the quota of bricks remained the same.)

2.      Rod turned to serpent.

3.      Water became blood.

4.      Frogs.

5.      Lice.

6.      Flies.

7.      Livestock diseased.

8.      Boils.

9.      Hail.

10.  Locusts.

11.  Darkness.

God is omnipotent. Why doesn’t HE introduce the tenth plague as a one-time punishment to Pharaoh’s wickedness towards Israel? The successive hardening must carry important significance.

Know the omnipotent God and fear HIM

Everyone should know God. The signs performed by Moses and Aaron are not man’s work but God’s. The uniqueness, degree, distinction and variety went on further and worse. They are incomparable and spell clearly that God never surrenders to man’s ill-will regardless of their bad stubbornness.

God’s power is delicate and distinctive. Starting from the 4^th plague, Children of Israel were not affected because they listened to God and complied with HIS command. The enemy, heavily struck, had to keep begging HIM for relief.

God knows everything – the past, the present and the future. HIS power is infallible, HIS will and plan immovable. No bargaining, deceit and hiding could man adopt to evade or offset God’s blow. The LORD has full control and we ought to fear HIM.

All God’s signs are solid works. Luck doesn’t exist. We can choose to obey God or go against HIM, but we can’t choose the consequence. Nobody can impede how God uses everyone in HIS plan.

Warning to man’s ill will and ungodliness

The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart demonstrated that successive misfortune could befall if man keeps setting his will against God. God cares people. HE offers strict and good principles to guide us, to control our human weaknesses such as easily tempted by the devil, being forgetful to God’s grace and punishment, being unthankful to God’s love and care. Never use our weakness as an excuse to behave ungodly.

Man will corrupt but God won’t. HIS merciful and unbeatable deliverance handed down to generations. The ten plagues to the Egyptians will serve as a remarkable reminder on the great risk of magnifying our own will without complying with God’s. The LORD could crush anyone to death; any man’s will to futility.

Let’s pray to God:

Loving God, please irrigate our heart with Your grace so that it won’t be hardened for whatever reason and we could spread Your compassion to other people especially those who need most of Your mercy. Amen.

God’s Assignment to Moses

God instructed Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, free from slavery.

In Exodus 1-4, the children of Israel suffered tremendously from slavery in Egypt. God heard their cry and granted them mercy. HE instructed Moses going back to Egypt to lead HIS people out and gave him all necessary supports to convince his brethren following him to realize the deliverance from God.

Promised by God, Abraham’s descendants multiplied exceedingly in Egypt. The new king felt threatened and ordered giving more toils to the children of Israel, but the growth continued. Then, the king tried to kill their male infants but the midwives feared God and didn’t do so. Finally, he ordered throwing all Hebrew male infants into the Nile. In such background, Moses was saved by the princess, grew up and later, he was assigned to deliver God’s people out of Egypt.

Having the great honor to serve God, Moses was not exempted from complying with HIS law. The LORD almost killed him due to his uncircumcised son.

God’s deliverance was full of wondrous works. HIS appearance to Moses in the first contact was in the form of fire, burning the bush without consuming it. While listening to the LORD, Moses mentioned twice his weakness of not being eloquent. But nothing was difficult to God. The LORD foretold Moses what would happen and would keep providing him specific instructions on what to do, what to say and what miracles to perform.

The definite instructions not only revealed God’s omnipotence, but also the great consideration to HIS servants and people. Moses got Aaron, a helper who was good at speech. God would be with them, giving full support in speech and signs; therefore, Moses got nothing to fear.

The speech and signs convinced the children of Israel that the LORD showing them mercy was the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. They were reassured the unique blessing and how powerful their God is. They were required to do exactly what Moses and Aaron said and same for the Egyptians as this only living God had made their ancestor prosper for the sake of the blessed (Jacob and Joseph).

God’s signs are powerful and in various forms such as turning the rod to snake, changing water to blood, and many other disasters performed later to force Pharaoh ordering the children of Israel to get away. The LORD could also harden people’s heart, for example, Pharaoh’s. Everything is in God’s plan and under HIS entire control. Nobody can beat God’s power and insistence on fulfilling HIS promise.

God never forsake HIS people. Follow HIS command and be HIS faithful servants, relief and grace will be granted.

Let’s pray to God:

O LORD, Your assignment to Moses is so meaningful and full of loving-kindness. Pray that we could be of some uses to You as well. Please strengthen us to fear not but keep doing the righteous things and being a good Christian in our lifetime. Amen.